Trapped man already in garbage truck when it arrived at Pasco school

PASCO – A man was already trapped in the back of a Pasco garbage truck before it arrived Friday at Stevens Middle School.

The Pasco Fire Department released additional details later Friday about the rescue in the school lot.

Officials initially believed he had been sleeping in the dumpster at the school, and was tipped in.

After further investigation, officials learned the Basin Disposal driver heard the man yelling as he got out of the truck to open a gate at the school shortly before 6:15 a.m., according to a release from the Pasco Fire Department. The driver called 911.

Pasco firefighters responded with a ladder truck and an ambulance.

Firefighters set up a rope rigging system, using the ladder truck as a high point to attach pulleys.

They reached the man through the top of the truck and put him in a safety harness. Then they attached the harness to a metal-framed bed used for rescues.

After nearly two hours, firefighters were able to get the man out of the truck and into an ambulance. He was taken to a Tri-Cities hospital as a precaution.

This is the second time someone was rescued from the back of a garbage truck this year.

The rescue happened as students were arriving for class, requiring traffic and buses to be rerouted, the school district said in a Twitter post.